Slotovino: La Festa del Bonarda, Rovescala

Re-reading D’Agata’s ‘Native Wine Grapes of Italy’ as assuredly everyone does, we woke up to the fact that the Croatina (aka Bonarda) grape has a spiritual home. A place where it achieves some of its best results. This place is Rovescala in Lombardia. Halfway between Pavia and Piacenza, only an hour and a half from Milan actually. Croatina Pignola or is typical of Rovescala and is described by D'Agata as the most important and typical biotype of Croatina. It is even known as Bonarda Rovescala.

So googling Rovescala, we tumbled on an announement of a Festa del Bonarda to be held there every Sunday in March. We had to make a special trip such is our love of the 'fleshy and creamy-sweet' (D'Agata) Croatina.

Rovescala - the street

You couldn’t call Rovescala a one horse town. It is barely a one horse village. Without the special and rather beautiful hills around – covered in the treasurable Croatina vines of course – it would be way off the beaten track.

As it is, Croatina needs to raise its profile. For too long it has been a modest variety contributing sometimes to both the Gattinara and Ghemme of Piemonte and Amarone of Veneto. It doesn’t do itself any favours by contnuing to allow its sweet version to be called the fantastically politically incorrect ‘Sangue di Giuda.’

Starting not long ago, the good producers of Rovescala have assembled about 100 of their wines every Sunday in March for tasting.

This event is modestly popular with what appeared to be mostly local people enjoying the wines and congregating for a slap-up lunch at the pop-up Gastronomia.

Food quality was not the point here – more socialising and enjoyment. And why not? The first thing to do when seeking fame is to convince your family, then your local community. By all appearances, we were the only outsiders, but we would urge everyone with an interest in native Italian grape varieties to call in to Rovescala if they find themselves in Northern Italy in March one year.

Arriving the previous day we toured the area looking for a particular producer D’Agata had singled out in connection with a grape called Moradella - once the most important variety of Pavia. now it is hardly to be found as it is very sensitive to mildew. D'Agata does however mention one producer, Fortesi, making experimantal batches of Moradella.

By chance, Fortesi appeared to be actually in Rovescala. D'Agata writes 'If you're in the area, stop by since the wine is not yet available elsewhere.'

This was obviously going to be our No. 1 port of call. However, driving up and down the same road with both the car SatNav and our Waze app full on, the winery stubbornly refused to appear. Later enquiries suggested Fortesi is now a chicken farmer.

We had spent so long in this search that we failed completely to take a look at one of the most important producers of the area, Lino Maga of Broni, maker of the famous Barbacarlo (Croatina and Uva Rara).

Note: The wines of the area are called variously Bonarda del Oltrepo Pavese and Provincia di Pavia. According to Winesearcher.com, 'the distinctions between the Provincia di Pavia and Oltrepo Pavese appellations are not immediately obvious, other than that one is an IGT and one is a DOC. The two titles cover roughly the same area, and they both produce a wide array of wine styles, from a similar selection of grape varieties. The solution to this conundrum, and the reason for the apparent double-up, lies in changes in local wine classifications over the past decade – most notably the promotion of sparkling Oltrepo Pavese Metodo Classico to full DOCG status. These changes were generally accompanied by a tightening of production conditions, creating the need for a 'lower-tier' appellation to fill in the gaps. The solution was the Provincia di Pavia IGT.' So there you have it. Both Oltrepo Pavese and Provincia di Pavia Bonarda allow a minority of other varieties in the blend including Uva Rara as mentioned above, Vespolina (aka Ughetta), Barbera and even Pinot Nero.

We paid a visit to a large branch of Esselunga at Stradella not far from Rovescala where there were plenty of Bonarda/Croatina wines on sale from 3 or 4 Euros to 29.90 Euros.

These more expensive wines were from Barbacarlo itself and at those prices they we bargains indeed. We immediately bought the Napoleone and the top of the range Barbacarlo. The Vino de Napoleone was so-named after yet another myth concerning Bonaparte’s favourite wines. As noted in this blog, his practice seems to have been to compliment the inhabitants of whatever town he has just beaten up by telling them their wine was his favourite in all the world. “Prodotto sulla collina di Montebuono in Broni. Dopo la battaglia di Marengo, Napoleone sosto a Broni e ne bevve, lo trovo eccellente: da allora la collina se chiama anche Monte Napoleone.”

Just for interest here is a list of the Croatinas on sale at Esselunga:

Le Falesie del Trebbio. Croatina Frizzante. 11.5%

Ca. di Ca. Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese. Frizzante. 12%

Giorgi. Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese. Frizzante. 12.5%

Fiamberti. Bricco della Sacca Bonarda. Frizzante. 13%

Fiamberti. Costa Paradiso Sangue di Giuda. Vino Frizzante Dolce. 7.5%

Torti. Poker di Vino Reale. Bonarda. Vino Frizzante. 13,5%

Perego & Perego, Rovescala Myrto Croatina 14.%

Maga Barbacarlo. Croatina and Uva Rara. Provincia di Pavia Rosso, 13.5%

Maga Montebuono. Vino da Napoleone. 12.6

Picchi. Bonarda dell’Oltrepo Pavese. 13.5%

Poderi Riccagioia. Torrazza Coste Bonarda dell’Oltrepo Pavese. Frizzante 13%.

Conte Vistarino. Alcova. Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese. Frizzante. 13%

Fratelli Agnes, Rovescala. Vigna della Composta. Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese Frizzante. 13%

Mossi, Colli Piacentini, Bonarda. Vino Frizzante Amabile. 11%

Tenuta San Zeno. Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese. Vivace. 12%

Viticoltori Arquatesi Bonarda, Colli Piacentini. Amabile Frizzante. 9.5%

That is 16 different wines from the Croatina grape grown in the Oltrepo Pavese, Provincia di Pavia (Lombardia) and Colli Piacentini (Reggio Emilia). All three appellations require a minimum of 85% Croatina incidentally. Amazing. Good old Esselunga.

You can see from this list the variety of different wines that are made here. So may are Frizzante or Vivace. This doesn’t bother us but may be a problem for many in the international market. Also the sweet (Sangue du Giuda!) versions remind one of dubious Lambrusco amabiles. Among these are some serious still (‘fermo’) wines. Those from Lino Maga di Maga Giuseppe can be found at Chambers Wines of New York and command twice the prices as charged by this local supermarket.

That evening we had dinner at a fantastically un-reconstructed restaurant in nearby Castel San Giovanni called Barca and founded in 1899.

Not much may have changed in the kitchen since then. The food is very meaty when it’s not fantasically carbohydrate. We weren’t offered a menu but had a conversation with the charming Maitre d’ (everyone there is charming) requesting an antipasto based on vegetables. We were served the ham and salami one anyway.

The pasta was an extraordinary combination of what was advertised as Tortelli Pisarei with what looked like baked beans but were Borlotti ones. The tortelli were filled predictably with ricotta and spinach. We weren’t sure if we could eat that at all but it went down surprisingly easily. A real cucina povera dish of the kind that makes you envious of the poor people who invented it.

The bollito misto trolley trundling its way around the room.

There then came the trolly with Bollito Misto - one of our favourites but in this case some of the cuts really were rather too obscure for comfort.

Despite Barca being for some reason a specialist in Gutturnio wines (Croatina and Barbera) we drank a Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese by Pietro Rossi with our feast. This wine, although nice and modestly alcoholic at 12.5% somehow missed the particular unique character we associated with Croatina and sadly this was to become a factor the next day in our tasting at the Festa del Bonarda at Rovescala.

the tasting tent before the arrival of the merry hordes

Here is a list of some of the wines on show. We tasted a good deal of these but once again the Croatina magic we had hoped from wasn’t always there. The wines were well made but somehow strived to be something different. No prizes for guessing what: more concentrated, more fruity, more dark and brooding as they say. This style may please many but we couldn’t help thinking where was the poor little Croatian girl in all of this?

Alberto Fiori Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese. Valdamonte. Il Colonello. Frizzante.

Fratelli Agnes Vernietta da uve Croatina di Rovescala, Provincia di Pavia IGT Amabile Frizzante 12%

one of the wines made from Bonarda di Rovescala

also known as Croatina Pignola

Fratelli Agnes Posessione del Console Vino Rosso. 15%

Fratelli Agnes Loghetto ‘ammandorlato’ Vino Rosso. 15%

Fratelli Agnes Millennium Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese 14.5%

Fratelli Agnes Poculum. Provincia di Pavia IGT. 14.5%
Barbara Avellino. Giafer, Bonarda dell'Oltrepo Pavese. Frizzante.13.5%
Azienda Agricola Andrea Buscaglia Tabar Vendemmia Tardiva. Bonarda. Vino Rosso 14.5%
Barbara Avellino. Caotico, Bonarda dell'Oltrepo Pavese. Frizzante.13.5%
Bisi. Pramattone. Provincia di Pavia IGT. 14%
Alessandro Brandolini.Croatina Il Soffio. Provoncia do Pavia IGT. 13.5%
Ca' degli Orsi. Bonarda dell'Oltrepo Pavese. 13.4%
Cassinelli e Pozzi Croatina. Provincia di Pavia IGT. 12%
Azienda Agricola Luca Ciocchi. Croatina. Zuccarello. Provincia di Pavia IGT. 13.5%
Dellafiore Ferruccio, Zucarello. Croatina. Provincia di Pavia IGT. 12.5%
Dellariore Roberto e Figli. Bonarda dell'Oltrepo Pavese.
Claudio Eusti. Bonarda. Rovescala.

Azienda Agricola Manuelina Pa’ Luigi. Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese. 13%

Azienda Agricola Martilde. Zaffo. Croatina. Provincia di Pavia. 14%
La Piotta di Padroggi Luigi e Figli. 12%
Il molino di Rovescala, Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese. 13.5%
Societa Agricola Riccardi. Bonarda vivace. 12%

Rossi Franco di Rossi Alessandro. 14.5%

Azienda Agricola Stefano Rossi Croatina Provincia di Pavia IGT. 12%

Danilo Savi. Bonarda dell'Oltrepo Pavese.

Scarabelli Bonarda Gemme di Campo. Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese. Frizzante. 12.5%
Pietro Torti.Bonarda dell'Oltrepo Pavese. Croatina Provincia di Pavia.

F.lli Valle. Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese. Croatina Provincia di Pavia.
Varese Francesco di Giuseppe. Vino del Bosco. 13%

Elena Vercesi Croatina Vivace. Provincia di Pavia. 12.5%
Vercesi Gian Paolo. 14%

Some had their own table. Others preferred a larger communal counter and it was here that we made our discovery of the day.

Bear in mind we had filtered out the sparkling wines, the sweet ones and the high-alcohol beverages, well made though many of there were. We were just looking for a good straight still represntation of the beautiful Croatina grape.

Amazingly there was - for our taste - a clear winner. Dellafiore Ferruccio's Croatina simply ticked all the boxes. First of all it weighed in at 12.5%. Secondly it was fermo, not frizzante and thirdly it somehow represented our conception of the grape Croatina most faithfully.

The name Zuccarello had appeared on other bottles at the tasting. It refers to a hill which is considered to be the best site for Croatina in Rovescala. There Ferruccio Dellafiore farms barely 1 ha. of vines. At 80 years of age he is still doing everything on his own and by hand. he has no website. His wine sells for E.3.50 a bottle.

outside the Dellafiore winery

used Dellafiore damigiani

His winemaking is not exactly hi-tech but the result is perfection.

Marco Dellafiore, one of Ferruccuio's sons.

We weren't able to meet Ferruccio but we managed to find his son Marco who had taken another career path. We sent our congratulations to Ferruccio through Marco and said we hoped to see Dellafiore Croatina in the UK before long.